1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to interactive electronic amusement devices, and more particularly, to an Interactive Audio-Visual puzzle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, educational puzzles for young (e.g., pre-school) children are known. In some such puzzles, a puzzle piece is removed from a frame to reveal an underlying picture. Examples of such puzzles are the "Pick-Up & Peek" puzzle, produced by Fisher-Price, and the Playskool "Lift & Look" puzzle. Puzzles which produce some manner of sounds are also known. An example is the "Melody Puzzle", by Connor Toys.
Interactive amusement devices (e.g., toys) which produce sound are also, in general, known. Examples of such toys are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,620 issued to Breedlove on May 7, 1985 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,536 issued to Sanders on Nov. 17, 1987. Many such toys, however, fail to provide sufficient visual interaction to stimulate a pre-school child's imagination, and tend to have little utility if the audio portion becomes inoperable. Furthermore, such devices often either provide little opportunity for the improvement of a child's manual dexterity, or require spelling, reading, or highly developed fine motor skills not typically possessed by young children.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electronic amusement device that provides high quality audio and visual stimulation to a young child while tending to develop the child's fine motor skills. Preferably, the device would, to some extent, be educational, yet maintain a young child's interest and be suitable for use by the child, even if batteries become exhausted. It is also desirable that the toy provide high sound quality, while maintaining a suitable enclosure profile and include an energy saving mechanism to prevent rapid discharge of batteries.